In a small corner of the North-East of England, some of the world’s finest protection dogs are being put through their paces to become the ultimate personal, business and family guard dogs.
Protection Dogs Worldwide, a family-run business in Hull owned by lead-trainer Leedor Borlant, specialize in Cane Corso’s, Dobermans, and German Shepherds, all of whom they meticulously train so that they can protect their family and handler on command and within specific threat scenarios.
“I train dogs for families that have certain situations or scenarios that need protection,” Borlant explains. “We offer four levels of training, three are the most popular and then we have a dog that’s called a directors dog, which is only one every two years, very rare, and it’s a dog that’s been brought up by me or one of the other head trainers from a puppy in our house for two years straight.”
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Borlant explains that director dogs live in family situations and are exposed to every scenario imaginable to enable them to be the best protection dogs they can be. And while these dogs are world-class, their high level of training doesn’t come cheap.
“The cost of the dog varies completely on the training that we do. They can start anywhere from £20,000 up to £70-£80,000.”
Borlant and his family live at the kennels 24/7, ensuring the dogs are watched over constantly and given the highest quality care and attention. “We live with all the dogs, me and my family. We’ve got a young daughter, one of the first words she ever said was ‘doggy’, so I know when I’ve got a dog with my daughter that it’s safe, if it isn’t, then it wouldn’t be safe for anyone else’s daughter.”
Starting at 6am most mornings and finishing around 9pm at night, Borlant says that training the dogs is far more intense than it used to be and requires him to work seven days a week to meet demand. But the enthusiastic trainer thrives in his role, saying “I love the place with a passion, I love the dogs, I love what we do.”
And if you’re in the market for a protection dog, Protection Dogs Worldwide is well worth considering. “What sets us apart from other dog trainers is the level of training we’re willing to go to and the things that we’re willing to do,” Borlant explains. “My mission is to keep pushing dogs as far as I can push them to reach the best ability of any dog we get.
